Thank you for picking up this book. I’m Hozumi Mitaka. Many of the Twelve Corpses appeared in the second volume. Albert defeated the Pestilent Guardian Dragon in the previous volume, but going at a pace of one per book would mean it would take eleven volumes to get through them all, even not including Albert himself. I had no way of planning such a large-scope story from the start, and when I came up with the plot of this volume, I thought, “This is what I wanna write!” So that’s why things developed as they did. Thank you all for being there with the One-Armed Giant and the Grave Keeper of the Golden City in their final moments.
Now, on to the acknowledgments. I’m once again deeply grateful to my editor, Ishida-sama. I’m not good at putting my ideas for characters into words, but being able to bounce ideas off of him was very helpful. I also apologize for making you wait until the very last minute for the manuscript submission.
To the illustrator, fame-sama, thank you once again for the wonderful illustrations! I loved how the cover of the first volume had Albert and Astrantia next to each other yet standing in different locations to show that while they were a team, they were also very different. I also love how the cover of volume two shows that the main characters have shortened the distance between them. The meaning of the cover really sinks in after you read the story and see the flowers in the background and the petal in Theophilus’s hand. Nemophila was probably difficult to draw since she keeps her real emotions hidden, so thank you for making her so appealing! Campsis’s gal vibe and outfit were amazing as well! And Glenn looks so cool it makes me wish I’d given him a bigger role. Not to be forgotten among all the new characters, the image of Cuphea at the front is also extremely cute. At the time of writing this afterword, I haven’t gotten to see the images in the volume itself yet, but thank you again for your wonderful illustrations!
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the readers of the web version and everyone involved in the production and sale of this book. Thank you to everyone who picked up this second volume. Though I would love to bring the next battle to you in the form of a book, even I as the author can’t predict what comes next. I would appreciate it if you supported this work along with the eventual manga version. While I pray that we will meet again, for now, I must set down my pen.
Hozumi Mitaka